I create paintings that examine balance and unease at once: female nudes engage in ritualistic acts, cats and dogs live harmoniously, and wild animals appear tame and indoors. All creatures share the same stripes, spots, and gestures, but given these figures in their domestic context, harm is still a looming threat. I am self taught, and use paper, acrylic paint and pen as materials for physically exploring my thoughts and emotions, which are transformed into a visual narrative.

About Lauren:

(b. Santa Rosa, CA 1983) Lauren Roche is a self-taught artist living in Minneapolis, MN. Her aesthetic is often rooted in autobiography and grapples with the elusive territories of the imagination and memory. Roche's drawings and paintings feature female nudes in ritualistic acts, cats and dogs living harmoniously, and exotic horses -- all creatures share the same stripes, spots and gestures. An avid reader, Roche cites the magical realist novels of Murakami and Kathy Acker's punk poetry as influential to her practice. Roche was just awarded the Joan Mitchell Foundation's Painters and Sculptors Grant (2018) and was a recipient of the 2012-2013 Jerome Foundation Visual Arts Fellowship. Her work is represented by Bockley Gallery in Minneapolis, MN.

From Hannah Brown:

The images I create function as my tool for capturing the darkness and lightness in the human experience; as well as the fun, difficult, and unexplainable moments that nuance our lives. I am drawn to vivid contrast, which manifests in my practice and the themes that come forth in my work. My art is heavily influenced by narrative and emotion; addressing body image, sexuality, loneliness, and abundance.

I primarily draw using ballpoint pen on paper, a method I discovered when I was a teenager. In my drawing practice I am interested in images that are intimate and vulnerable, focusing on the nude form typically without reference. Working in this style is tedious and meditative, which allows me to invest in a level of detail that creates my own reality within the image.

I am a female identifying person living in Minneapolis, MN. I graduated from Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 2016, with a degree in Illustration. Currently I work out of my studio in the Powderhorn neighborhood.

As Is features the watercolor works of now Minneapolis-based artist Buzzy Napoli. Napoli treats his subjects with a thoughtfulness that is felt by the viewer. These are objects that have existed within his personal world, but they have shared context that, through his medium, comes in and out of focus. The show will run through December 26th, 2018.

Join us for the opening reception Friday, November 9, from 6-8 PM.

Forage Modern Workshop, 4023 E Lake St, MN 55406

From the artist:

The phrase As Is functions in most scenarios as a caveat emptor: scrawled in miniature within the borders of a record’s price sticker or as a neon addition to an online auction listing. It’s an indication that something isn’t quite right, that something is less than perfect. Removed from the context of the marketplace, however, As Is and the imperfections it denotes function less as a warning than as an existential affirmation. Indeed, everything is As Is. As Popeye would say, “I yam what I yam.”

Even within the confines of commerce, to suggest that an object is As Is prescribes a certain autonomy to the object in question. It exists,warts and all, regardless of human perception, monetary value and desirability. Like us, it is kinetic, vibrating and moving through time.

This collection of drawings functions as an exploration of objects - some fleeting, others long-standing - as they appear to me and as they are, in all their flawed, misrepresented and multi-dimensional glory. The drawings, of course, are also As Is, so buyer beware.

Buzzy Napoli (b. 1985, Long Island, New York) earned a BA in Gender and Women’s Studies from Connecticut College, New London, CT in 2007 and an MFA from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA in 2017. His work tends to explore the significance of everyday objects and actions through watercolor and video. He currently lives and works in Minneapolis, MN.

Our September show opens Friday, September 14, from 6-9PM. Click here for the Facebook event page.

The show will feature three artists, each working in different media, who will come together to make an immersive installation in the gallery space at Forage Modern Workshop.

Rebecca Spangenthal is an artist living in Minneapolis MN. Rebecca focuses on functional textiles and music under the project name Island Queen Satans Flower. She is also a painter. For inquires, commissions and conversation, contact Rebecca at beccaspangenthal@gmail.com.

Alanah Luger-Guillaume was born in Waterbury, Connecticut and attended Alfred University School of Art and Design. In 2013 Alanah co-founded The White Page gallery and residency program, and has maintained an active painting practice in which she explores color and pattern. She has participated in exhibitions at galleries such as Yeah Maybe and TuckUnder Projects of Minneapolis as well as The Front in New Orleans, LA and The Cohen Gallery in Alfred, NY.

Kathryn Sheldon grew up outside of Syracuse, NY and is a co-founder of The White Page. Kate attended Alfred University School of Art and Design and graduated with a BFA and New York State K-12 Visual Art Teaching Certification. She has worked with the Access Program Department of the Art Gallery New South Wales in Sydney, Australia as well as on the install team for the Sydney Biennale. She maintains her studio practice as a painter in Minneapolis and has participated in exhibitions at The Cohen Gallery (Alfred, NY), and TuckUnder Projects and Yeah Maybe (Mpls, MN).

Our summer show is curated by Minneapolis-based artist Crystal Quinn. Quinn asked 8 artists to create 1 or 2 bumper sticker designs, each of which will be on display in our gallery. Participating artists include:

Forage Modern Workshop is pleased to announce Looking For Something Bigger, an interactive installation by Minneapolis based artist Preston Drum. Drum’s interactive installations present a stage of distortion, using everyday objects to create a blurred version of reality. Using materials such as cardboard, wood, drawings, paintings, video, and re-purposed materials, Drum will transform Forage Modern Workshop into a make-shift studio, an environment inspired by relocating his current studio space.

Looking For Something Bigger testifies to the continued fascination of the artists' studio as a concept, psychological construct, social point or periphery, a site of identity, a site of performance and myth. It presents a pause in time of either factual or fictitious process of production, transforming the artists' studio from an enclosure to a realm of openness.

Preston Drum’s work has been exhibited at Jonathan Ferrara Gallery in New Orleans, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Walker Art Center, and The Soap Factory in Minneapolis. Looking For Something Bigger will run May 2nd - July 1st. The opening reception is Friday, May 4th, 6 - 9 pm.

From the artist

Though trained as a painter, I have in recent years developed an art practice centered on building interactive sculptural installations using cardboard, wood, and other repurposed materials. These installations which employ the use of soundscapes and video elements, are pseudo-stages where the viewer becomes a part of a performance. There is no script for these plays, the work is driven by a contract between artist and participant to mine our collective memory. Collaboration is essential for bringing new breath to the creative process and the relationship between artist and viewer is the ultimate collaboration. As an artist, my goal is not to dictate meaning but to provide material for the viewer to construct their own. This interaction provokes questions of how we define the author, the reader and the power dynamics between the two roles. We all love stories, but we must be mindful of the context in which the story is being told and heard.

Being a white man from the Southern United States, I am endowed with a guilt for the south’s history, to reconcile the transgressions of my ancestors, I go forward with an open heart and open mind. Seeking to empower the viewer and engage them in discourse about the things that unite us. As our society transitions into one dominated by abstractions through technology, fake news and escapism, it seems we are in dire need of visceral experiences and personal connections. This has pushed me away from the canvas in pursuit of a new way of storytelling that uses all our senses. My hope is that the viewer will use these installations as an opportunity to question their own presence in this world and through that questioning find a voice to tell their own stories.

About

Preston Drum, was born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina. He earned a BFA from Memphis College of Art in 2006 and an MFA from Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 2016. Though his past work was focused on producing mixed media paintings, he has recently turned towards building interactive installations and moving image work that explore notions of memory and performance through non-linear storytelling. Drum’s installations and performances are often site-specific and collaborative in nature, framing the audience as a participant in the art. Drum’s work has been exhibited throughout the Midwest and Southern United States at venues such as Jonathan Ferrara Gallery, The Minneapolis Institute of Art and The Walker Art Center. He currently works as an educator and studio artist in Minneapolis.

Kieran Riley Abbott (b. 1992) is from Minneapolis, MN, and received her BFA in Printmaking from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities in 2014. She has participated in residencies at Highpoint Center for Printmaking, Vermont Studio Center, and Women’s Studio Workshop. Recently her work has been exhibited in Minnesota, New York, and throughout New England. Kieran lives and works at Vermont Studio Center as a Staff-Artist.

Kieran's recent body of work centers around a series of sculptural monotypes, which are made by pouring wet hydrocal over a water-soluble crayon drawing. The drawing transfers onto the hydrocal, but not perfectly; the process disrupts the grid structure and reveals anomalies in the pattern. The illusionistic checkerboard floor - used as a shorthand for an artist’s mastery of linear perspective in Renaissance paintings - begins to undulate, and solid shapes start to blur around the edges. The malleability of these geometric patterns speaks not only to the limits of visual perception, but to an uncertainty around the invisible structures that dictate daily life. The mysterious intermediary step between the crayon drawing and final result, when the plaster is poured, yields a result I can never entirely control. This loss of control is an important component of the process.

For a limited time, we have discounted a selection of goods just in time for Valentine's Day gifting. Whether you're shopping for a friend, sweetheart, coworker or yourself (come on, self care), we think you'll find the perfect gift to spread the love. Shop here.

Symbology is a new body of work by Liz Pechacek made to explore tactile formalist qualities while maintaining an obscure sense of utility. These works draw upon her practice as a potter and reference functional ceramics through scale, use of multiples, ceramic as a medium and craft. Devoid of any clear purpose, these objects convey an invitation to use that is obscured by context, like artifacts from some other culture and time.

Liz PechacekMinneapolis, MNLiz Pechacek was raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, by her artist mother and chemist father. She grew up making all manner of things and found her way to clay in college. She earned a BFA in ceramics and a BA in art history from Indiana University in 2012. She now operates her ceramic studio in Minneapolis and teaches at Powderhorn Park. Her work is all either hand built or slip cast from hand built prototypes. Layered with slip, stains, and glaze, the work achieves a rich and complex surface that above all communicates a sense of touch. Pechacek draws from a diverse range of historical sources, such as Mimbres and Neolithic Chinese pottery. She bridges these influences with Danish Modern Ceramics and the work of such pioneers as Lucie Rie and Ruth Duckworth.

OUECHA's new edition "I'm 729 Days Late", reflects on timeless and timely questions and answers from * the body in space *. Rooted softly between practice and play, the trio explores this range of issues via color, clothing, spinning tops, drawing exercises, orange arrangeables, and much more. In keeping with the methodologies of their newest member, 16 month old Issa Lyon, they plan to continue adding to the show incrementally as their vision and experience develops. Stay abreast on Instagram at @ouecha and @ouechapohs

Christina and Frank Lyon share a multidisciplinary practice which spans music, clothing, design, and sundry spaces that evade description. Their editions can be experienced most comprehensively via a project called OUECHA / WAY - CHA which will open a show at Forage the first weekend in November. In the meantime you can keep current with them on Instagram: @ouechapohs + @ouecha

What does Home mean to you?

A place to play our flutes?

If one thinks of the World as home, then feeling there can be almost anywhere. But, with that thinking an occasional sense of homelessness can also occur with some frequency. Getting a feel for the middle ground between those poles has emerged as a fundamental theme in both of our lives. Some people experience a very clear sense of home where they were born, and others seem to be born under the star of homelessness, fated happily or sadly to a nomadic path. To us it feels more cyclical, like the push and pull of tides; a benevolent and often random sequence of feelings that refresh our sense of wonder, and also visit upon familiarity for its sweet sense of safety. We have felt at home in so many places, Arizona, Minnesota, Scotland, New York, Finland, Los Angeles, Mexico ... I never felt at home in San Francisco, although I wanted to. I don't think home is fantastical -- there is something deliciously plain about home for me. Metaphorically speaking, I never wanted to join the circus. That is probably most clearly what it "means."

or

Home is fall. The string of moments when you sense peacefully your own mortality and the drift toward rejoining everything more clearly.

and

Home is a place with many frisbees.

Talk about an item/items in your home that you love most and why.

Rock Collection : I grew up on Lake Michigan, and would walk the beaches a lot to uncover special rocks which I would later present in a market of sorts with my friends. Right before the trading would take place, I would dip the rocks in water to enhance their coloring.

My deep fondness for rocks has me collecting all over the place. Some of my faves come from my friend Eliza's family house on the Long Island sound. Very early in my courtship with Frank, I had my mind set on bringing him back a rock from Old Field but in doing so I put waaay too much pressure on myself, and the rock. I was freaking and Eliza was trying to help me and, after some time and with a mix of faith and exasperation, I reached into the sand and found the wildest looking specimen -- smooth, green, with all kinds of white perfect circles. It was so handsome, I didn't even need to wet it.

I later learned that John Cage was a big collector of rocks, and that made so much sense to me. I have an orange one I carry with me at all times. I call it the Magic Rock and it has brought great luck to some. I rub it on planes so that the cosmos don't send us crashing from the sky. Rocks are powerful!

Record Collection : The home as an intimate place and a container is quite ideal for acoustic experiments. A dynamic collection of music, and in this case records, is indispensable in exploring the physical and poetic character of your house. We love our collection more with each passing day for the freedom, beauty, and inspiration it provides us.

Czech Modern Children's Table Set : This was one of the first, and only, fine pieces of furniture I've approached and purchased as more of a collector. I love its childlike design, its strange balances and mysterious sophistication and grace.

Blue Head : A wonderful old couple brought me in off the street in Cobble Hill, New York promising me records and then sent me away with a blue sculpture of a woman's head that the matriarch had made years ago. It's a rare thing to be invited into a stranger's home and leave with a piece of their art. I feel the head has been very "now" for a long time... now.

What is your favorite source/sources for interior design inspiration? or Where do you find inspiration for your home?

The internet is the ultimate place to mediate your fantasies these days, but as we referenced earlier, we get a lot of obscure energy from music. Particularly, the way that music, as a both an occupant and suggestion of atmosphere, can become a score for interior design.

Czech Modernism : It often feels torqued on the axis of classicism and something more eccentric . . . true love.

John Cage --> plants / rocks / music / food / playfulness

Film : Eric Rohmer! We will never stop . . .

Spaces of friends : tangible + intangible

What is your favorite room and why?

Our L shaped living room / dining room

The light is amazing and changes softly throughout the day. We're also just beginning to understand what it means "to live the L," its central pivot offers at least two different programmatic axes towards the stereo/bookcase and the dining table. There is actually a third as well when you consider the fireplace and everything it includes as an experience and practice. There's enough space for 10+ people to visit, share cheer and devastation, practice yoga . . . plus, a view of a booming birch tree with a placenta nourishing it below; also, a portal piece by @toreyerin !

If you could move anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Some seasonal combo of Helsinki --> Mexico City --> Twin Cities --> Duluth, maybe Montreal or Japan. We've given some thought to Portugal.

Where are your favorite places to shop for home-related items?

Besides Forage . . .

estate sales

Frank's parents + grandmother Mimi

friends who make things

thrift stores all over the world

Prague Kolektiv (now defunct)

There is really no better discovery than finding something you love in someone else's trash; the abject in general is simply an astonishing way to casually expand one's taste --> mobilized fondness! (Wayne Koestenbaum)

What are some of your favorite items from Forage that you have in your home?

Kush candle : This travels from our living room to our bedroom, walking past it and catching a whiff can adjust your attitude.

Hay cheese platter : A Christmas gift to Frank, cheese is big in our family and we love how distinctly off-brand it is in the world of cheese; there is such a thing as too much heritage, and its otherworldly iridescence communicates that positively!

Mutto sofa : Our couch. we love our couch. A gift to ourselves after getting through the first six months of parenthood; the softness is palpable in person, and even in cyber space. When we Air B+B our place, there is always a conversation about our pink prize, and how not to spill on it. :-) Two guests actually touched our Rocks For Photography and then sat on it -- bad move, guys!

Erin Lee Smith lamp : A Christmas gift to Christina: our living room doesn't have much lighting, and the size and shape of this was perfect for us to put onto our built in book shelf. We love yellow, we loved its texture and personality, and the cord brings back cherished memories of phones.

We are THRILLED to introduce our latest featured artist, Dietrich Sieling. We will be hosting an opening reception September 9th from 2p-6p and would love for you to join us.

ABOUT THE ARTISTDietrich Sieling lives in Minneapolis and is a full-time artist. He was born in 1988 and diagnosed with autism when he was three.

Inspirations for Dietrich's work include calligraphy, a fascination with animals both scary and beloved - dogs and owls were (and are) terrifying, while kudus, zebras, and giraffes are beloved. Friends, family and self are also important subjects - drawn with special attention. Also providing great inspiration are fellow artists and musicians Jim Denomie, Angelena and Korla Luckeroth, Michael Gaughan (Brother and Sister, Ice Rod) Markus Lunkenheimer (Skoal Kodiac) Andy Fritz, (Tender Meat) and Melodious Owl.

His aspirations include buying the old New French Cafe building, installing a spraying hose, and painting the floors with zebra and giraffe patterns.

You can follow along with photos of his work and other featured artists at #fmwfeaturedartist

We love the story behind our our buyer found our August Featured artist, Charles Gary Prentiss. We found his work through Forest Lewinger's Instagram (he's Workaday Handmade). The charming story is that Forest married Charles' daughter Molly, and Forest made pots as gifts for the wedding party. Charles then made paintings based on the pots Forest made for his new family. :) The style of these still life paintings are not characteristic of Charles' larger body of work, but he was happy to do them for us. All pieces are available for sale in store and online.

Charles Prentiss is an artist, museum exhibit designer and architectural and color consultant living in Santa Cruz County, CA. As an artist he works primarily as a painter and printmaker. Born in Astoria, Oregon, he grew up in Orange County, CA. Attended UCLA as an art major, 1962-3. US Army Reserve 1964. Graduated from UC Riverside in Zoology, 1966. Worked as Curator of the Santa Cruz City Museum of Natural History from 1969-98. Charles lives with his wife in a co-housing group of three families in La Selva Beach, CA.

Darcy lives with her partner and cat in the Highland neighborhood of Saint Paul, MN. She spends her time collecting homeware, creating collage and textile art, and selling vintage clothing on the side.

What does Home mean to you?

"Home" is wherever you are most comfortable, where you're completely at ease and it feels natural to be there. I'm also sort of introverted, so a place where I can treat myself to some quality alone time in a space that feels like mine is very important. "Home" is a totally malleable concept to me and can change locations and qualities throughout life as well.

Talk about an item/items in your home that you love most and why.

I have a soft spot for ceramics and functional art, so I'd probably have to say my little collection of ceramic planters, mugs, and vases. I like to have a centerpiece of different ceramic bits on my dining table, and I can't resist rotating through different pieces and creating new arrangements, so they each get their time to shine!

What is your favorite source/sources for interior design inspiration? or Where do you find inspiration for your home?

I love watching movies with distinct artistic direction, visiting beautiful shops around town, reading magazines and even cookbooks to get home inspiration. Instagram and web galleries are fantastic for a quick fix, but it's kind of important for me to have a tangible experience to get really fired up and creative.

What is your favorite room and why?

This is a hard question because I love so many spots in my little apartment, but I'd have to settle on the bathroom being my favorite room. This might seem like a weird choice at first, but I go through so many important little rituals in my bathroom! It's my ultimate "me space." Everything is clean white, lots of dreamy light comes through the glass block wall of my shower, and all of my self-care bits are housed there too. Taking care of my skin and body is almost a hobby for me; I love trying out new products and learning about natural beauty, so I spend a good amount of time caring for myself in the bathroom. I've also been blessed with a nice bath, so that doesn't hurt either.

If you could move anywhere in the world, where would it be?

I would love to spend some of my life in Japan, the Netherlands, and California.

Where are your favorite places to shop for home-related items?

I spend far too much time in the Goodwill home goods section. Most of my furniture and decor comes from thrift stores and vintage shops, Craigslist, and a sprinkle of Ikea. When I do decide to buy something new or a quality piece that I'll want to have around for a long time, I always go to Forage.

What are some of your favorite items from Forage that you have in your home?

My most recent addition is a wooden spiral mobile form our vintage collection that I have hanging in my room. I snatched it up the second it arrived in the shop! In my my living room/kitchen area, there's a gorgeous bar card made by Peter Sowinski that dutifully contains all of my booze and knick-knack overflow. My favorite corner in the apartment is occupied by the most perfect black vintage record stand paired with a wire planter from Menu, both from Forage as well.

Current Forage wish list?

I am totally amazed by our new coverlets from Kristine Salviejo; their quality is excellent and the pattern is insanely good. I've been wanting to get one of our Queue Two Tone Lighters for awhile, they're super slick and exude and instant-cool vibe. I also plan on picking up the most recent issue (#8) of Riposte, one of my all time favorite magazines. The larger Citronella Incense Coil would absolutely be on this list if I had a balcony or yard!